Demonisation of Muslims hurts all sections of society

The recent blanket demonisation of all Muslims has not only caused hurt, bewilderment and anger among Irish and British Muslims, many Christians, people of other ethnicities and faith, and people of goodwill, also feel hurt and betrayed.

Pastor James McConnell told his congregation Islam was "heathen and satanic" and a "doctrine spawned in hell"

The recent blanket demonisation of all Muslims has not only caused hurt, bewilderment and anger among Irish and British Muslims, many Christians, people of other ethnicities and faith, and people of goodwill, also feel hurt and betrayed.

Our society still struggles with pervasive sectarianism, which is in large part the exclusion and demonisation of the other on religious and political grounds. Recent attacks have shown that racism is also present, and now as part of this same family, we have Islamophobia.

The destructive three arise from deep prejudice, which has its roots in ignorance, fear and insecurity. Recent comments revealed a serious ignorance of Islam and also of the history of Christianity.

When we don’t know, and more seriously, don’t know that we don’t know, we create out of fear, stereotypes and demons. We not only dehumanise the other, we dehumanise ourselves.

We now have the opportunity to reject sectarianism, racism and Islamophobia, and re-double our commitment to a truly shared future in Northern Ireland, a common good.

To this end we require political and religious leadership that will encourage us to build a democracy, which is plural, diverse, inclusive, respectful and positively tolerant.

Such a society will be truly democratic and not in any sense theocratic (human rule on behalf of God), one in which all count and the dignity of every human being is paramount. These are the ethical responsibilities of political and civil society.

We the undersigned therefore pledge ourselves to the building of a truly human, inclusive and ethical society, in which all people are cherished equally.